If murder mysteries, suspicious characters and the eternal Egyptian question of “okay, but who actually did it?” are your kind of entertainment, you have plenty to keep you busy. From cold cases and serial killers to corrupt institutions and crimes that spill onto the internet, Egyptian TV has given us quite a few crime dramas worth getting obsessed with.
And there’s another one on the way. Mohamed Farrag’s Leabet Gahanam is set to premiere on Shahid on August 28, bringing another dark crime story to the screen — and this one is inspired by a true crime that shook Egypt.
Until then, here are nine Egyptian crime series to get your detective brain working.
Mawaed Ma El Mady
What starts as a tragic diving trip turns into a nightmare for Yahya when his sister Nadia dies and he is wrongly accused of murdering her. After serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, Yahya is finally free 15 years later — and he has one thing on his mind: finding the person who actually killed his sister.
It’s the classic “wrong man, unfinished business” setup, but with 15 years of secrets to dig through. Because apparently one lifetime of trauma wasn’t enough.
Ward w Shokolata
Marwa is a famous media personality known for her bold style and for going after sensitive stories on her satellite TV program. Then she meets Salah, a powerful lawyer with a mysterious past, and suddenly her life gets a lot more complicated.
She falls for him despite all the red flags, only to find herself caught between love, control and deception when he decides he wants to leave her and return to his family. But what if Marwa can’t accept that? Then Salah has to get rid of her in any way possible.
Safah El Giza
If serial killers are your particular crime-drama weakness, Safah El Giza should be on your list.
The series revolves around a string of mysterious crimes and the motives of Jaber, whose actions eventually lead to him being described as a serial killer. His crimes leave an entire neighborhood living in fear, while the story digs into the circumstances and motives behind what happened.
It’s dark, unsettling and very much not the show to put on if you’re trying to convince yourself that your neighborhood is completely safe.
Al Sayad
A young man working for a security agency is forced out of his job after an accident leaves him unable to perform his duties. But when the agency gets stuck on a mysterious case later on, they have little choice but to go back to the person they previously dismissed.
Now he has to use his skills to help uncover the mystery — while presumably resisting the urge to say, “You needed me after all.”
Ahl Cairo
A bomb report at a luxury hotel in downtown Cairo sends Colonel Hassan into a high-stakes investigation on the night of businesswoman Safi’s wedding. With influential guests gathered under one roof and Safi herself carrying a scandalous past, the case quickly becomes much bigger than a potential bomb threat.
The series combines a police investigation with a murder mystery and a deeper look at corruption, as a detective and a crime journalist work together to follow a trail of clues that leads far beyond the original crime.
And with Cairo itself practically functioning as another character, the title feels pretty appropriate.
Qabeel
A serial killer named Qabeel is turning murder into a social-media spectacle, posting photos of his victims online while a detective tries to figure out who he is and why he is doing it.
The investigation becomes even more complicated as the detective struggles with his own mental health and hallucinations, making it increasingly difficult to separate what is actually happening from what he thinks he sees.
So yes, this one comes with the crime, the mystery and the added bonus of questioning absolutely everything.
Saatoh Wa Tarekhoh
This one takes the crime drama into the courtroom, exploring a number of important cases that have made their way through Egyptian courts.
Rather than following one central crime, the series looks at the motives, circumstances and details surrounding different cases, turning real-world legal drama into episodic stories packed with twists and tension.
For anyone who hears “based on court cases” and immediately wants to know the whole story, this is your lane.
Segn El Nessa
Segn El Nessa shifts the focus from detectives and killers to the women who end up behind bars.
The series follows women whose difficult circumstances push each of them toward committing a crime and ultimately landing in prison. Their individual stories unfold alongside those of the people around them, against a backdrop of political, social and economic upheaval.
It’s less about solving a crime and more about asking how people end up committing one in the first place — making it one of the more human entries on this list.
Bimbo
Bimbo is a drug dealer who gets robbed and loses all his money, leaving him desperate to repay his debts. Somehow, his attempt to fix that problem lands him in the middle of a murder and disappearance case.
And somehow, even more unexpectedly, Bimbo ends up playing detective.
What follows is a chaotic mix of crime, mystery and dark comedy, with a very unlikely investigator trying to piece together what actually happened.
El Qessa El Kamla
Leabet Gahanam is the first story in El Qessa El Kamla, an upcoming crime anthology inspired by true crimes. The first story follows a seemingly perfect teenage genius and a seemingly devout man whose lives intersect online, pulling both into a disturbing game that goes far beyond the screen.
As their digital actions begin to have real-world consequences, the story explores how something that starts virtually can turn genuinely dangerous — particularly when it is inspired by a real crime that shook Egypt.
Mohamed Farrag leads Leabet Gahanam, which premieres on Shahid on August 28. So yes, you have a little time to catch up on your Egyptian crime binge before this one lands.
Now, Bring on Leabet Gahanam
After all that murder, mystery and questionable decision-making, August 28 can’t come soon enough. Leabet Gahanam is set to bring a darker, psychological crime story to Shahid, with Farrag at the center of a story where the internet is very much not staying on the internet.
Until then, consider this your Egyptian crime-drama watchlist. Just maybe don’t start accusing everyone around you of being the killer after episode two.
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